"Celestial Effigy"

A galloping acoustic guitar-and-drums introduction? A strutting mid-tempo build? Vocals both growled and hissed? A quick and focused race through black metal? A heroic coda of pirouetting melodies and broad feelings? Indeed, Agalloch condenses most of the traits endemic to its best work into “Celestial Effigy”, the seven-minute centerpiece of its forthcoming fifth album, The Serpent & The Sphere. The elements are tempered here—even that mid-song outburst feels padded, as though the addition of a blast beat and accompanying whiplash bass necessitate slightly less aggressive guitars. Not to say that it’s boring. All of these moving parts create an unyielding sense of momentum, as though “Celestial Effigy” were a perpetual motion traveling through familiar terrain with uncanny paths. Profound Lore will release The Serpent & the Sphere on May 13, followed by a European released by Eisenwald on May 19.